Taschen book highlights the undiscovered work of photographer Marvin E. Newman

New Yorker Marvin E. Newman was one of the first recipients of a Master of Science degree in Photography at Chicago’s Institute of Design in 1952. Inspired, Marvin returned to New York and began capturing the day-to-day happenings of the city.

What set Marvin apart was his use of colour photography, a bold direction in comparison to his predecessors who favoured black and white film. Despite being known among collectors and galleries like Eastman House, MoMA and the International Center of Photography, Marvin has remained relatively under the radar in the mainstream despite his ability to offer a fresh perspective on New York. To rectify this, Taschen has published the photographer’s first ever monograph in a collector’s edition that includes 170 pictures from the late 1940s to the early 1980s.

Marvin has a talent for capturing the chaos and energy of New York through the city’s people and landmarks, highlighting what it was like during the 20th Century, from decade to decade. The 238-page book features his city-based images as well as shots from his sports photography portfolio for publications like Life and Sports Illustrated. In the monograph, photographs from the Midwest also feature including images of Chicago, a vintage 1950s circus, a legalised Reno brothel, Nevada and Las Vegas.

Marvin is now 89 years old and this chronological retrospective of his work is long overdue, merely highlighting how current and important his work still remains when painting a portrait of the well-known places he’s visited.